Projects

2013/2014 Foundations of Infant Mental Health Training Program

The Central California Children's Institute, in parternship with the Central Valley
Regional Center (CVRC) and First 5 Fresno County, completed the second year of its
regional training program in the foundational principles of infant-family and early
childhood mental health (IFECMH). The program provided basic IFECMH training for 140
new practitioners from six to seven agencies in the CVRC six-county catchment area.
These trainings served to move participants closer to meeting state-level endorsement
in IFECMH, if desired.

Curriculum for the trainings was based on the IFECMH Training Guidelines and Personnel
Competencies devleoped by the California Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental
Health Workgroup in 2009. Lecture sessions included approximately six hours per training
day. At each of the training sessions, small reflective practice learning pods met
for one hour in the afternoon. These pods were configured to represent varied disciplines
and agencies across counties. The learning pods were facilitated by facilitators-in-training
of the First 5 Fresno County Reflective Practice Mentor Group.

Upon completion of the training program, and meeting all program requirements, participants
received a certificate that details the training domain and competency that was met
by the training sessions.

Positive School Discipline

The California Endowment was awarded a two-year grant, in the amount of $504,182 to
the Children's Institute to promote positive disciplinary practices in Central Valley
Schools.

The grant enabled us to provide technical assistance to school districts that are
implementing positive discipline practices to reduce suspensions, improve school climate
and boost student well-being in the Central Valley.

A pool of technical assistance providers was created to help districts take the right
steps toward sustainable, comprehensive, positive change in their school discipline
policies and practices.

School districts engaged in the Positive School Discipline project included:

Bakersfield City Schools

Corcoran School District

Fresno County Office of Education

Mendota Unified School District Profile

Modesto City Schools

Reef Sunset District

Sierra Unified School District Stockton Unified School District

Tulare Joint Union High School District

For more information about the Positive School Discipline Project, contact Heather
Berg, Project Coordinator at (559) 228-2164.

Using Data for Policy Change Workshops

The Central California Children's Institute in collaboration with Fresno County Interagency
Council for Children and Families conducted two data workshops to demonstrate the
use of data to influence child policy and trained community organizations to use data
more effectively in their work.

Using contemporary examples of issues facing children in the San Joaquin Valley, the
data workshops built the capacity of non-profit leaders and program developers to
use both quantitative and qualitative data in efforts on behalf of children, and to
craft data-driven policy advocacy tools. The workshops covered topics such as:

Using literature reviews to conceptualize desired policy changes and outcomes